NSW State Election 2023 – NCOSS Policy Tracker

Welcome to the NCOSS Policy Tracker for the 2023 NSW State Election.

The NCOSS Policy Tracker will capture announcements from NSW Labor (Australian Labor Party NSW branch), NSW Coalition (Liberal-National) and The Greens NSW that align with the NCOSS Policy Platform.

The NCOSS Policy Platform 2023 sets out recommendations for the next NSW Parliament to address some of the most pressing issues in our communities. You can read about our platform Working Together for a Fairer NSW, and access advocacy resources, here.

Where relevant, we will include significant policy announcements from independent candidates and other parties.

We have worked hard to collate the current policies. However, if you spot one that we have missed or which has been updated, please email us at advocacy@ncoss.org.au, and we’ll add it to the tracker.

 Immediate cost of living relief

NCOSS Policy Priority 1

Respond to rising energy prices

More and more people living in NSW are waking up each morning and wondering how they will afford to feed their families, pay the bills, and just get by. Energy costs  consume a sizable portion of the disposable income of low income households.

NCOSS recommendations

NCOSS calls on the next NSW Parliament to –

• Permanently increase the cap on Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) vouchers to $1,600 per year.
• Streamline the process to apply for an EAPA voucher.
• Ramp up promotion of EAPA vouchers in low-socio economic areas and amongst other vulnerable cohorts.
• Make the Low Income Household Rebate a fixed percentage of a person’s energy bill, instead of a flat rate

Coalition- NSW Liberal Party and NSW Nationals

Have committed to –

• New South Wales residents receiving a $250 rebate for comparing energy providers and plans. Households would be able to access the one-off cost-of-living payment by comparing energy plans using a tool on the Service NSW website. The measure will be rolled out from 1 July to 31 December if the Coalition- NSW Liberal party wins the election and will apply to everyone, ­including those already on a rebate.
• https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/05/nsw-liberals-vow-to-help-households-take-250-off-electricity-bills-if-re-elected

The Greens NSW

Have committed to –

• All government housing developments constructed in accordance with ecologically sustainable development principles and be climate positive and climate ready.
• https://greens.org.au/nsw/actionplantoendhomelessness
• Introduce requirements to ensure low-income earners and renters can access energy efficiency measures in their homes.
• https://greens.org.au/nsw/loweringthecostofliving

NSW Labor

No significant announcements identified.

NCOSS Policy Priority 2

Improve access to dental care

Good oral health is fundamental to wellbeing, yet it is overlooked in our health care system. Many simply can’t afford it, causing unnecessary pain and stigma. First Nations communities, particularly in in rural and remote areas, experience poor oral health outcomes. While programs are in place, it is not enough to meet demand.

Below we outline our solution to this issue and policy responses from the major parties in the lead up to the 2023 NSW State Election.

NCOSS recommendations

NCOSS calls on the next NSW Parliament to –

• Double funding for public dental outreach services to address shortages across NSW, prioritising locations with the highest need and most disadvantage.
• Address gaps in the provision of dental services by Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services to increase access to this essential care for Aboriginal communities.

Coalition – NSW Liberal Party and NSW Nationals

No significant announcements identified.

The Greens NSW

Have committed to –

• Bolster the public community health sector to allow free access to a dentist through local public community health centres.
• Ensure there is more funding for public dental health services.
• https://greens.org.au/nsw/healthcare2023

NSW Labor

Have committed to –

• A review of current services and the gaps in service provision, for all communities.
• Source: ALP NSW Response to NCOSS Policy Platform

NCOSS Policy Priority 3

Make renting more secure and affordable

Renters are the fastest growing tenure type in Australia and low income renters are the most at risk, especially when disasters occur. Across NSW, rental increases and the rising cost of living have placed even more stress on households and increased the risk of homelessness for many.

NCOSS recommendations

NCOSS calls on the next NSW Parliament to –

• Replace no-grounds evictions in the current NSW tenancy law with a range of specified reasonable grounds.
• Where tenants are evicted for reasons other than a breach, introduce provisions requiring compensation for moving costs by the landlord.
• Introduce a permanent hardship framework to support renters maintain their tenancy and avoid eviction.
• Consider the feasibility of a mandatory landlord insurance scheme and/or landlord rental bond scheme to cover the cost of hardship provisions such as rent reductions.

Coalition – NSW Liberal Party and NSW Nationals

Have committed to –

• Removing no-grounds evictions in favour of a reasonable grounds model for periodic tenancies.
• Extending notice periods for the end of fixed term leases from 30 days to 45 days.
• Introducing optional longer lease agreements of three or five years.
• Introducing a portable bond scheme and
• Regulating data collection from renters.

The Greens NSW

Have committed to –

• Legislate to ensure no-one is evicted into homelessness.
• Require at least 30% affordable housing in all new private developments.
• https://greens.org.au/nsw/actionplantoendhomelessness
• Immediately introduce a rent freeze and get rents back under control.
• End unfair no grounds evictions.
• Introduce better minimum standards in rental accommodation including making it mould and damp-free, with ceiling insulation, heating, roof venting and waterproofing with compulsory energy efficiency standards, and internet access.
• Strengthen the rights of tenants to enable long term leases.
• Strictly regulate tenancy databases and lease applications, and ban third party platforms and rent bidding.
• Allow people to transfer their bonds directly from one property to another.
• Let renters have pets – so it’s their choice not the landlords.
• Include internet access in all rental properties.
• Ensure adequate penalties for  landlords who breach their responsibilities to tenants.
• https://greens.org.au/nsw/makehousingaffordable2023

NSW Labor

Have committed to –

• Make renting fairer with the appointment of a Rental Commissioner who
  will be an advocate and voice for renters.
• Protect renters from unfair evictions by tasking the Rental Commissioner with creating reasonable grounds for ending a lease.
• Ban secret rent bidding meaning that rental transactions will be open and transparent.
• Streamline the rental bond process to allow renters to directly transfer bonds from one property to another, while ensuring owners still have access to funds they may need.

NCOSS Policy Priority 4

Invest in social infrastructure so that essential support reaches those in need.

Neighbourhood centres and others such as multicultural services and Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) have been lifelines during recent disasters. They are an essential service that provide social connection, psychological support and practical assistance for those most in need, yet don’t receive core funding to operate.

Below we outline our solution to this issue, and policy responses from the major parties in the lead up to the 2023 NSW State Election.

NCOSS recommendation

NCOSS calls on the next NSW Parliament to –

• Provide core funding for neighbourhood centres and similar services that act as access and distribution points for essential support, social connection and pathways to assistance during tough times.

Coalition – NSW Liberal Party and NSW Nationals

No significant announcements identified.

The Greens NSW

Have committed to –

• Provide funding security for the social services sector
• Guarantee funding for neighbourhood and community centres
• Fund local programs to target social isolation and strengthen community connections
• Resource community legal services to meet 100% of demand
• Invest in the social services workforce with a workforce development strategy
• https://greens.org.au/nsw/supportingthesocialservicessector

• Support the security of funding for successful community-based and culturally safe and secure programs administered by, and for, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities.
• Increase resources in both community-controlled health and general support services and mainstream services and train more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island health and community workers and health professionals.
• https://greens.org.au/nsw/policies/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-island-peoples

NSW Labor

No significant announcements identified.

NCOSS Policy Priority 5

Enhance safety, security and wellbeing for women impacted by domestic and family violence by investing in social housing

The housing crisis continues to worsen in NSW, particularly for those who are most vulnerable. Since the pandemic, housing insecurity has worsened for women in NSW. While a long term approach to address the housing crisis is needed, there is an urgent need for immediate relief for women and children placed in untenable circumstances because of domestic and family violence.

Below we outline our solution to this issue and policy responses from the major parties in the lead up to the 2023 NSW State Election.

NCOSS recommendations

NCOSS calls on the next NSW Parliament to –

• Construct social housing for the 4,812 women and their children experiencing domestic and family violence who become homeless or return to a violent relationship because of a lack of housing.

Coalition – NSW Liberal Party and NSW Nationals

Have committed to –

• Provide victims of domestic violence with access to the First Home Buyer Choice and First Home Buyer Assistance schemes, irrespective of whether they have previously owned a property with their partner.
• Remove the eligibility criteria for bond loans for victims of domestic violence.
• $426.6 million to expand the Core and Cluster initiative, to deliver and operate new women’s refuges that will support up to an additional 2,900 women and children escaping domestic and family violence each year.

The Greens NSW

Have committed to –

• Invest in and build significantly more public, social and affordable homes, by delivering 10,000 new public and social homes each year for the next 10 years.
• Require parliamentary approval for the sell off of public housing and public land.
• Lower the priority age for social housing eligibility from 80 years old so that the growing number of at risk older people, especially women, will be eligible for priority public and social housing.
• Ensure whole of government commitment to a “Housing First” policy approach.
• First Nations owned and managed housing.
• https://greens.org.au/nsw/actionplantoendhomelessness
• Require big property developers to include at least 30% ongoing affordable housing in all new large private residential developments.
• Ban the sale of public housing and public land that can be used for housing.
• Legislate a requirement that at least 10% of all dwellings in NSW must be public and not-for-profit social housing.
• Fund and enable local councils to meet affordable housing targets and create more affordable homes.
• Support not-for-profit community housing initiatives, including shared equity and cooperative housing models.
• Apply a 5% empty homes levy with some exemptions, for homes left empty for over six months with the funds going towards creating more public, social and affordable homes.
• Introduce a new land tax on owner-occupied residential properties with an unimproved land value over $10 million or an improved value over $20 million at a flat 4% of the improved value.
• Increase the rate of land tax payable on non owner-occupied properties and land that meets the NSW government Premium Threshold to 5% from 2%, and expand the Premium Threshold to include investors who own more than 8 residential properties.
• Abolish the build-to-rent 50% land tax concession unless these developments yield at least 30% ongoing social and affordable housing on private land and 100% on publicly owned land.
• Maintain existing hardship deferrals for residential land and exemptions on primary production lands and conduct an independent review of other exemptions.
• Use all revenue raised by this tax to build or purchase more social and affordable homes.
• https://greens.org.au/nsw/makehousingaffordable2023
• “Address the homelessness crisis for older women and women at risk” with a “massive” boost to funding for specialist women’s housing, women’s refuges and homelessness services.
• https://greens.org.au/nsw/womensequalityandsafety

NSW Labor

Have committed to –

• Merge three existing government agencies responsible for housing into a single body. The proposed Homes NSW agency would see the Land and Housing Corporation, Aboriginal Housing Office and Department of Communities and Justice Housing combined in an effort to address the state’s housing crisis.
• https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/nsw-labor-pledges-to-fix-social-housing-as-first-home-buyer-debate-rages-20230109-p5cb96.html
• Introduce a mandatory requirement for 30 per cent of all homes built on surplus government land to be set aside for social, affordable and universal housing.
• Spend $30 million piloting a new build-to-rent scheme in the South Coast.

NCOSS Policy Priority 6

Bolster children’s safety, social development and educations outcomes

Children in NSW have faced major upheavals over the last three years, as families have dealt with increasing financial stress, and the closure of schools and childcare has impacted learning and social development. The full impacts are still unfolding but a concerning picture is emerging.

NCOSS recommendations

NCOSS calls on the next NSW Parliament to –

• Increase investment in the Targeted Early Intervention Program by 25%, prioritising Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations.
• Continue evidence-based implementation of high quality school tutoring
  programs to counter the long-term impacts of lost education due to COVID.
• Implement the Family is Culture blueprint through a genuine partnership and shared decision making with Aboriginal leaders, Community Controlled Organisations and communities.
• Enhance timely access to health and social services for children and their families in disadvantaged communities, by extending the ‘School Gateway Project’ in its South West Sydney location and to another two school sites in NSW.

Coalition- NSW Liberal Party and NSW Nationals

No significant announcements identified.

The Greens NSW

For First Nations children, The Greens have committed to –

• Raise the Age of Criminal Responsibility to 14 years of age and no person under 16 years of age in New South Wales will go to prison.
• https://greens.org.au/nsw/firstnationsjustice2023
• Put an end to the ongoing Stolen Generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families and country by giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, through their families, elders and communities self-determination in respect of their children.
• Acknowledge that empowered, respected and adequately resourced Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, elders and communities are best placed to understand the needs and protect the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
• Recognise that the definition of ‘family’ within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and culture is distinctly different from the Anglo-Australian nuclear family model, and that kinship care and care on country are vital for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and communities.
• Implement policies that ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, elders, kinship groups, representative organisations and communities are given the opportunity to participate in decisions made concerning the placement and care of their children and young persons.
• Develop achievable pathways to family restoration for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children currently in out-of-home care.
• Require NSW government agencies to adopt strategies resulting in a “substantial increase” in meaningful participation in service delivery by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples.
• https://greens.org.au/nsw/policies/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-island-peoples

For all children, The Greens have committed to –

• Support an overhaul of the Department of Family and Community Services as recommended by the child welfare sector. Consideration should be given to the recommendation to separate the 3 key functions of FACS, namely child protection, family assistance/support (prevention) and out-of-home care.
• Increase resources to programs which are likely to prevent child abuse such as early intervention, respite care, child care for children at risk and home visiting programs which are integrated with professional services for vulnerable people.
• Support investigations into the “untenably high” numbers of children being reported to the Department as being at risk of significant harm as well as the high numbers of children deemed to require statutory out of home care.
• https://greens.org.au/nsw/policies/children-and-young-people

NSW Labor

Have committed to –

• Establish an ongoing, targeted Literacy and Numeracy Tutoring Program beginning on 1 July 2023 – focused on students who need it most, and providing ongoing, permanent support to help students keep up.

NCOSS Policy Priority 7

Limit the harm caused by pokies on vulnerable communities.

In the first half of 2022, punters across NSW lost almost $4 billion playing the pokies. This is worrying, particularly when low level income Local Government Areas (LGAs) have the highest number of pokies and experience the greatest losses. Evidence supports a well-designed cashless gaming card minimising gambling harm.

Below we outline our solution to this issue, and policy responses from the major parties in the lead up to the 2023 NSW State Election.

NCOSS recommendations

NCOSS calls on the next NSW Parliament to –

• Mandate use of a cashless gaming card across NSW venues operating pokies, to enable a pre-commitment scheme, voluntary exclusion and other harm minimisation measures.
• Overhaul the NSW ClubGRANTS scheme so that it provides transparent, targeted funding for those it was designed to benefit – people on low incomes or who are otherwise disadvantaged.

Coalition- NSW Liberal Party and NSW Nationals

Have committed to –

• Implement a plan to introduce mandatory cashless gaming across all venues by 31 December 2028.
• Support all 8 recommendations of the NSW Crime Commissioner to eliminate money laundering at pubs and clubs.
• Establish an independent Transition Taskforce, to operate from April 2023.
• Implement complementary and mandatory harm minimisation features to curb problem gambling.
• Ensure continued support for community organisations and ongoing viability of regional and small/medium-sized pubs and clubs.

The Greens NSW

Have committed to –

• Create a pokies ‘super tax’.
• Establish a Poker Machine Reparations fund to invest in communities most impacted by gambling and expand harm reduction services.
• Introduce mandatory state-run cashless gambling card, with harm reduction measures including pre-commitment of time and spending and a statewide exclusion register.
• Phase pokies out of pubs over 5 years and clubs over 10, providing financial support to small pubs and clubs to help establish alternative revenue streams.
• Reduce the social costs of gambling to NSW by at least $87 billion over a decade.
• Prohibit political donations from all organisations that profit from gambling.
• https://greens.org.au/nsw/news/media-release/greens-launch-their-plan-pull-pin-pokies-0

NSW Labor

Have committed to –

• Introduce a mandatory 12-month cashless gaming trial in New South Wales, involving at least 500 machines, to begin on 1 July 2023.
• Establish an independent panel to oversee the trial, deliver a report, and provide a roadmap to implementing gaming reform across NSW.
• Pass legislation to ban political parties from accepting financial donations from clubs that have gaming machines.
• From 1 July 2023, reduce cash feed-in limits from $5000 to $500 per machine for all new poker machines, and work to reduce feed-in limits in existing older machines.
• Ban all external gaming related signage.
• Reduce the overall amount of poker machines in New South Wales.
• Invest in harm minimisation programs through a $100 million fund, overseen by the independent panel.
• Enshrine Responsible Gaming Officers (RGO) role in law, for venues with more than 20 poker machines.
• Introduce and expand third party exclusion and mandatory facial recognition to enhance self-exclusion, with a deadline of 30 June 2024 for pubs and clubs to implement facial recognition technology.

NCOSS Policy Priority 8

Strengthen sustainability of the NSW social service sector as a growth industry and key employer of women.

Our sector is the largest employer in Australia and is projected to grow even further, contributing $15.4 billion each year to the NSW economy. In the face of recent upheavals, demand for social services in NSW is rising yet government support remains stagnant. The sector is highly feminised and characterised by low pay, poor conditions and a large gender pay gap.

Below we outline our solution to this issue, and policy responses from the major parties in the lead up to the 2023 NSW State Election.

NCOSS recommendations

NCOSS calls on the next NSW Parliament to –

• Extend standard contract lengths for social service sector grants to seven years and ten years for service delivery in rural and remote communities.
• Introduce portability of entitlements, including long service leave, providing incentive for experienced staff to stay in the sector.
• Introduce consistent, evidence-based indexation.
• Develop a population-based funding model for the sector.

Coalition – NSW Liberal Party and NSW Nationals

No significant announcements identified.

The Greens NSW

Have committed to –

• Abolish the public sector wage cap and delivering “real wage increases” as well as increased resourcing for frontline community, health and transport workers.
• Support collective organising and the right to strike.
• Introduce sector-wide bargaining across entire industries rather than restricted to single enterprises.
• Introduce portable leave.
• https://greens.org.au/nsw/workersrights2023

NSW Labor

Have committed to –

• Introduce longer term five-year funding arrangements for key community service providers.
• Establish a taskforce to engage with the sector on the development of a new funding framework and jobs compact. The taskforce will also work to standardise and streamline reporting and contract management.
• Establish a whole-of-government pre-qualification process so that organisations don’t need to repeat onerous accreditation processes.
• Review funding models to stop the “race to the bottom” on wages, provide secure jobs, and ensure adherence to award conditions.
• Create a portable entitlement scheme for gig, disability, home care and other precarious workers that would allow all workers to accrue annual leave, long-service leave and other entitlements regardless of whether or not they are classified as employees.